Chinese Almond Cookies

With yesterday being Chinese/Korean/Lunar New Year, I made these Chinese Almond Cookies. Since I seem to always have almonds on hand for the Sweet Almond Bread Pudding I love so much, it was the logical dessert to make.

The recipe is pastry chef and cookbook author Anita Chu’s recipe, found on Asia Society’s site. I chose it because it used only butter, not shortening. Also, it didn’t require almond flour, which I didn’t have nor know where to get. To make sure it had enough almond flavor, I added more almond extract. Modified recipe below.

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Chinese Almond Cookie 

Yield: Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

3 cups all-purpose flour
slightly less than 1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup softened unsalted butter
1 egg, for the dough

1 egg, beaten for egg wash 

2-½ teaspoons almond extract
½ cup sliced almonds for decoration

1) Sift flour, sugar, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

2) In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed until smooth.

3) Add the egg and almond extract, and mix until combined.

4) Add the flour mixture, in small increments, and mix on low speed until just combined.

5) Turn out dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, and form into a disk. Don’t worry if the dough is a little dry. Just try to keep it together.

6) Cover dough and refrigerate for about 20 minutes until firm.

7) Preheat the oven to 325°F.

8) Grease several cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper.

9) Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on sheets about 1-inch apart.

10) Flatten them with the palm of your hand.  

11) Brush a little of the egg wash over the top of each cookie.

12) Place a sliced almond in the center of each ball of dough or several scattered on top.

13) Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, rotating cookie sheets halfway through; the cookies will start to turn golden at the edges when done.

14) Cool sheets on wire racks for a few minutes before transferring cookies to wire racks to finish cooling.